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Kattapava Kanom: A Misleading and Demeaning Comedy Film

Movie Review by Trijai Nerthi (Rocheston Certified Movie Critic)

Kattapava Kanom is a dirty-joke spouting, mindless excuse for a film that masquerades itself to be a kid-friendly, romantic comedy. Just fifteen minutes into the film, you realize that it’s a weak plot that acts as a vehicle to carry demeaning comedy. Director Mani Seiyon seems to be unclear even about his target audience.

A mysterious and lucky Vaasthu fish, Kattapa transforms the fate of every house it slyly makes its way through. A child whose hope is vested with this magical fish, a newly married couple Pandiyan (Sibi Raj) and Meenakumari (Aishwarya Rajesh), three money hungry goons and a superstitious thug yearning for Kattapa’s presence cross paths in their greedy journey to possess this lucky fish. But somewhere after the first half, the plot disappears with misleading elements of dark humor, adult comedy, and an inadequate climax makes its way into a script that lacks clarity.

Just as you try to follow a staged romantic track between Pandiyan and Meenakumari, one too many below the belt jokes, like about a woman who looks like a “tanker lorry” and troubling references to Malar from the movie Premam, are thrown into a story that refuses to take itself seriously even for a minute. The problem is, Kattapava Kanom tries too hard to be a romantic comedy that transforms into a black comedy in the second half and finally ends up becoming a demeaning and objectifying propaganda targeting women.

The fact that this film received a U certification highlights all that is wrong with the functioning of the Indian Censor Board. A film like Lipstick Under My Burkha is banned in India, but we proudly give away U certification to a film like Kattapava Kanom that clearly should be an A certified film. Imagine all the families that have to sit in front of their children and squirm through all the inappropriate dirty jokesthat the film packs in abundance.

As if the jokes weren’t inappropriate enough, the director throws in a track featuring a naïve child unnecessarily into the plot. Even if you get past the offensive comedy, Kattapava Kanom fails to entertain you. The audio is out of sync in places, the characters aren’t established strongly, there is a huge amount of stereotyping, and the performances fail to immerse you into the story. With all the genres it tries to step into, the story topples down due to its lack of clarity.

At this point in Aishwarya Rajesh’s uprising career, the role of Meenakumari seems to be a serious misstep. Meenakumari is an entirely misconstrued representation of who a modern woman is. Her character reflects the failed understanding of a seemingly modern woman who claims to be modern for all the wrong reasons.

Kaali Venkat plays a goon who can’t stop gawking inappropriately at women. His character’s mortifying remarks on womenmakes you question why the actor decided to take up such a role. The cinematography and editing are on par with the below average storytelling. The music is surprisingly goodand out of place in a plot that is undeserving of such refreshing musical tracks.

Overall, Kattapava Kanom is a misleading, dirty-joke spouting comedy that should be deemed unworthy of even a one-time viewing.